Dear Wandering Spirit,
On NYE ‘20 I had the opportunity to spend few days in the vibrant, colourful, high-speed Bangkok! The Capital city houses over 10 million people 🏙️ and is situated on the Chao Phraya River. It is the fulcrum of Thailand’s economy. Keep reading for more detailed information about this Asian metropole.
Multi-Cultural Asian Hotspot
Bangkok was in the past a very important city for the Siam peninsula, next to Ayuttaya and Thonburi. It has grown into a multi-cultural Asian melting pot since the 80s.
Bangkok is a cutting-edge and quite contradictory place for first time visitors. Thai people are known to be kind, calm, helpful and always smiling. Walking around, you are surrounded by big city life: busy roads, street vendors, and loud markets. For short journeys, I recommend taking a Tuk-Tuk 🛻 and living this experience to its fullest!
What amazed me most of all was the variety of skyscrapers of different shapes and colours. 🌆 Especially, the wideness of the city and the tangled mess of streets, roads, and highways connecting one place to another.
On the other hand, if you take a ferry boat along the river, you can see stilt houses and small fishermen boats. Walk around residential areas and discover the simple life of the inhabitants, their characteristic houses and their street food culture.
How Long Should I Stay in Bangkok?
I recommend 4 to 7 days to fully experience Bangkok, including the modern city, a visit to the major temples, and some day trips around the capital. You need one full day to visit the Grand Palace area with its gardens and courtyards. 🏛️ Here, the glorious Thai history is felt everywhere.
Gigantic colourful demons from mythology watch the gates of the magnificent Wat Arun Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Aruna. At daylight, the sunshine gives the white walls a pearly aspect; at night, the lights are on and romantically shine onto the river. Make sure you don’t miss this spectacle.
What to See in Bangkok
Another place not to be missed is the Wat Pho, containing the 40 metre long Golden Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho is the place where Thai massages were invented and are still practiced today. When entering the temples, be respectful and always take off your shoes. Also, buy or rent a sarong to cover naked skin as shorts, skirts and sleeveless shirts are not allowed.
Want to take incredible pictures or simply admire Bangkok’s panorama? Then pay a visit to the Golden Mount. 🌄 Built on a hill upon request of King Rama III, this building was one of the tallest in the city until modern times. Next to it, Wat Saket is another beautiful Buddhist temple with incredible murals.
Thai architecture is made of wat, pagodas, chedis (bell-shaped towers) and prang towers. If you have already seen most of Bangkok’s temples, make sure you book a day visit to Ayuttaya too.
The original capital, sited only 40 km north of Bangkok, is a place full of history, whose ruins are protected by the Ayuttaya historical park 🏞️ (UNESCO World Heritage Site). I recommend renting a moped to drive around and discover the beauties of this town, which is smaller than Bangkok.
Floating Markets and Thai Street Food
Another typical Thai place you should enjoy are the Floating Markets on boats. 🚣 There are some around Bangkok, and they are very characteristic. From street food to souvenirs to even pets, you can buy almost anything.
If you are brave enough, you can book a journey to the Railway Market too – known worldwide as the street vendors move their stands back when the train approaches the station. What a fun, dangerous show!
In Bangkok, I visited China Town and it was another great cultural and food experience I will never forget. If you wish for international cuisines, step by at the Asiatique Riverfront 🎡 and walk along the riverside. Here, you can do incredible shopping.
Want to try something very exotic like crocodile meat and scorpion sticks? Even this, you can have when paying a visit to Kao San Road, the nightlife district.
Impressions From Bangkok
Thailand is internationally known for massages 💆 and tattoos as well. Pricing is very competitive compared to the rest of the world and they are truly specialised in offering these services.
Be careful about the hygienic conditions of tattoo studios (a bit of research upfront might help). When at the markets, you can haggle a bit (apparently, it is quite traditional in Thailand) but please be respectful of the locals too.
What else can I say about this incredible city and its loud streets? I enjoyed my time in Bangkok very much, and I wish to pay a second visit and re-discover it from other angles. Despite being hectic, you can really count on Bangkok to switch off and get immersed in a beautiful, colourful, and incredibly friendly culture. 🤝
Want more tips about Thailand? Check further posting and remember to subscribe to riccivagabondi for many more travel destinations. 
